Perpignan 29 Toulon 25 – The Rugby World Verdict

THERE WERE few better places to be on planet rugby on Saturday than in the Olympic Stadium in Barcelona where Perpignan beat Jonny Wilkinson’s Toulon in front of 55,000 fanatical supporters, the biggest crowd anywhere in the world this weekend, writes Rugby World editor Paul Morgan.

I was in the Olympic Stadium for the last rugby match played there, the 2002 Women’s World Cup and fortunately in 1992 when Linford Christie became the fastest man on the planet and La Ramblas resounded with the voices of happy Brits.

The stadium has hardly changed in those 19 years (certainly the bars sold the same hot dogs!) and looking around the only regret I had was that Argentina ditched the idea of basing their Four Nations matches in Barcelona, so many of their players are from Europe. There’s still time to changes your minds my Puma friends! You won’t regret it, I guarantee.

For the first half it looked as though Perpignan’s decision to move the match into their Catalan heartland, their spiritual home, had backfired as their players froze on the biggest stage in their lives.

Guillaume Vilaceca, Robins Tchale Watchou were yellow-carded by Irish referee Alain Rolland, Vilaceca for a head-first charge on Pierre Mignon at a ruck, that was reminiscent of Bakkies Botha’s disgraceful hit on Adam Jones on the 2009, which brought a ban. Rolland could easily have made it red.

But even though they played 20 of the first 45 with 14-men they only trailed 11-9, as Toulon failed to capitalise.

And with 15 on the field the Catalan spirit was raised and with the crowd rising to their every hit, kick, pass and run Perpignan cranked into life. Jérôme Porical kicked 19 points and two tries arriving from Adrien Plante and Perry Freshwater, who’s charge from six inches was immediately dedicated to his wife and three children from a self-confessed “sentimental old fool”.

The Perpignan fans are magnificent and thousands were still partying into the small hours, picnics breaking out wherever you looked on the hill leading up to the stadium. It was, without doubt, one of the greatest rugby occasions I have ever experienced.

Jonny Wilkinson was a bit-part player on his biggest day in club rugby as his pack failed to get him enough ball or penalty chances to work his magic, as was Scotland full-back Rory Lamont.

Toulon have a wonderful owner in Mourad Boudjellal, a rugby man who reminds me a lot of Nigel Wray, who is in the game because he loves it and he loves the craic!

Boudjellal promised me after the game that he will continue to buy big with Matt Giteau and Botha on their way to southern France. “More money, more singings and hopefully more success for Toulon,” he told me.

They certainly could have done with Botha’s hard-nosed edge against Perpignan, even if George Smith was outstanding. Surely the best on the floor openside in the world?

Perpignan, the 2003 finalists now have to head to either Northampton or Ulster in the semi-final.

If that match was also in Barcelona I don’t think either team would have the ability to withstand the passion and ferocity of the occasion but as it is away from Spain, Perpignan will be possess nowhere near the same threat. They have played their cup final and played the match they have wanted since they first entered the Heineken Cup. And that is usually followed by a defeat.

Don’t let the scoreline deceive you either. Toulon were well-beaten, losing 29-18 until injury time when Fabien Cibray scampered over for a try on the final whistle. Perpignan may have already started their one-hour lap of honour by then!

The match also consigned one dodgy theory to the bin – the one that suggests you can’t create an atmosphere in a stadium with a running track around it.

Try telling that to the 40,000 Catalans who sung, shouted and roared themselves hoarse. For most of the match it sounded like each of them had brought megaphones to Barcelona – some had. And don’t forget the 15,000 who made the trip from Barcelona. Their songs will live long in the memory.

So when the self-interested souls from association football tell you West Ham, Spurs or Leyton Orient can’t play soccer in London’s Olympic Stadium, because they can’t create an atmosphere you tell them that is nonsense as the men, women and children from Perpignan and Toulon proved on an unforgettable day in northern Spain.

One or two players of note

Toulon tighthead – Davit Kubriashvili – You can forget Martin Johnson watching the tape of this game to study the abilities of Jonny Wilkinson. Send the tape to Graham Rowntree and tell him to watch Kubriashvili as this is one Georgian who will give England a rough ride at the World Cup. Andy Sheridan or Alex Corbisiero will need to be on top form in New Zealand.

Perpignan’s Damien Chouly – If you stop Chouly’s running game you stop Perpignan in their tracks. Toulon’s back row gave him an easy ride and he galloped into the open spaces time and time again. He was the main reason they got the upper hand in the second half, with his partner in crime, Henry Tuilagi. What they haven’t got in a fetcher in the back row – they are all power.

Whilst agreeing that the game was a good one, I would suggest that it was one for the purist. Having been to watch Saracens play out in Clermont I was looking forward to a similar experience. However there were a number of things that could and should have been better. My wife and I organised a four day trip to Barcelona centered around going to the game. We were very fortunate to get a couple of tickets as the website that had been set up to promote the game declared that all tickets had been sold. So – happy days – until we got to the venue. A sell out and 55,000 spectators expected but only 2 outlets selling food and drink plus another where you had to buy vouchers then queue up again and exchange those vouchers for food. I queued for 40 minutes to get a drink and a bite to eat for me and my wife whilst she tried to find some shade behind one of the ornamental columns outside the stadium. Yes it must have been nearly 30 degrees and there was hardly anywhere to escape from the heat. Kick off for the game was 4.30pm but the gates around the ground were only opened at 4 o’clock. Upon going through the first set of gates all they did was take the bottle tops off everybody’s water bottle and throw them in a bin. Even then access to the stadium itself was restricted as only one in three gates were opened. It appeared that whoever runs or owns the stadium wanted to make the whole experience as unpleasant as possible or even did not want to stage the game at all. So we get in the ground having missed most of the pre-match entertainment that had been laid on – I was more disappointed in missing watch both teams warm up. I am a level 3 rugby coach consequently interested in these things. The tickets we had were for just off the halfway line – prime spot we thought – except they were in row 4. So watching the game was restricted by two factors, the elevation of the seats from pitch level and the fact that every time play went towards the left hand end of the pitch we could not see anything through the crowd of replacements and technical staff hanging around on the track. Which brings me on to the point about having a track of any sort running around the outside of a pitch, be it rugby or soccer. Viewing of the the game is not very good for those sitting near the front and those further back get further from the action. Having said all the above it was an experience to watch rugby in such a fabulous city and we will certainly go to watch rugby in Europe again.

Andy Stuart

Totally agree with the article above, the atmosphere looked terrific on TV and French rugby is obviously in good health and has an exciting future! Now I have fingers crossed for my team Northampton SAINTS against Ulster today and who are also playing in a different venue at Stadium Milton Keynes, which is hardly Barcelona though!!!